Hero in the Shadows
by The Boy in the Black Forest
Summary: Liam is a bender of darkness who is feared and hated by most villagers in his town. In fear of his past, he travles to Republic City in hopes of turning over a new leaf, to start a new life. However, trouble follows him wherever he goes. He soon meets Korra and the air-bending family by penalty of his actions. Even worse, he soon discovers the truth about his past...
1. Chapter 1

Hey it's me, Zalgo's Jinchriki. This is my newest story (surprise surprise) but it's not mine alone. My co-writer, CorinnetheAnime (who's stories you should totally read cause they are awesome), was GIGANTIC help.

" " = speech

' ' = thought

**Bold** = Daku's/dark spirit voice

* * *

><p>*Liam's p.o.v*<p>

Ah, Republic City. A place where all kinds of people live in peace and in harmony. Yep, whether you're a fire bender, water bender, earth bender, non bender or even the occasional air bender, Republic City is the one place where no one really cares. A place where people live in happiness, love and peace. Huh, yeah right.

Hey, my name's Liam. I'm a bender like most other Republic citizens but with a...twist. A dark twist if you will. Hehe. Oh wait, you don't get that pun, do you? I should probably explain it, huh? Alright, but before I do, let me tell you what I look like.

I'm 14 years old in case you didn't know. I have pale brown skin. And by pale, I mean pale as a ghost. I also have red eyes. My mom always told me that my eyes are as red as rubies, but they seem more like a rich blood color to me. But that's just my opinion, I guess. I have short, black hair and when I say short, I mean extremely short. If I had to give it a name, I'd say it's the borderline between bald and hairy. I wear the same attire everyday: a grey vest under a black jacket with black pants, both with red markings. What can I say, ebony and crimson are my favorite colors, but that's probably because of what I am. Oh right, the explanation.

You've probably already figured out that I'm not like other benders. And you're probably right, I'm not. Heck, I'm not even completely human. I am something much more... I am a dark spirit.

Well, half dark spirit anyway. My dad was a dark spirit and my mom was a human. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Was? What happened to your parents, Liam?" Well, isn't it obvious? They're dead. Or at least my mom was. I never really met my dad so I don't know if he's alive or not. Heck, I don't even know what he looked like. My mom never really told me a lot about him, but then again, I never really asked much about him that often. How did my mom die? I won't say; I don't like to talk about it. Don't worry though, you'll find out soon enough.

What does being a half dark spirit have to do with my bending, you may ask? Well, my bending is not like other people. My bending is much more dangerous than any fire, flood, earthquake or hurricane ever created. A fifth element in my opinion. Yeah, that's right, I am a dark bender. Yes, you read that right. I can bend darkness and anything related to it, even the , you took that a whole lot better than I thought you would. It's pretty cool actually. I can do so many amazing things that no one else can do. I'm one of a kind. But it also has a major downside unfortunately.

I tend to get a little...crazy sometimes. Most people know that...well, they knew that anyway. They're not exactly around anymore to tell anyone. Nobody's ever around after I lose control. So naturally almost everybody's scared of me. That's part of the reason of why I came to Republic City. Don't worry, you'll find out more about that in the future as well.

It gets pretty lonely too. I don't know anybody in this city and no one knows me either. But maybe that's a good thing for me. That way, I can't hurt anybody I care about. Not again, never again. After all, you can't hurt someone you care about if you don't have anyone to care about. And I'm determined to keep it that way. Besides, it's not like I'm completely alone. After all I do have _HIM_ but I don't really think he's much a friend; he's more like a roommate instead. Either way, I'm stuck with him.

So anyway, Republic City. Yeah, not all that it's cracked up to be. I don't see what's so great about it anyway. Sure, everyone seems pretty happy and peppy here, but when you look past all that, it's exactly the same as a village, only much larger and with more civilians. Not exactly all that peaceful either. You still have all your regular criminals, mafias, hobos, oh, and let's not forget the city council who just sits around on their butts all day and doesn't do a darn thing.

I'm getting pretty bored just sitting here on the ground right now just talking about it. This floor is really uncomfortable. Maybe I should go for a walk. I haven't gone outside in a while. A walk might do me some good, yeah, stretch some of my sore muscles and all that. Plus it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment.

So with that in mind, I got up from the dusty ground I was sitting on, and placed on my slick, black jacket. I looked at the old doors of the entrance for a moment. I didn't really want to open them because they'd probably fall off their hinges as soon as I touch them, and I don't have that. I wouldn't want the elements to get in after all (no pun intended), so I did the next best thing: I walked through them. Yep. You read that right too. It's either another form of dark bending, or from the fact that I'm part dark spirit. Oh well, the point is that I can go intangible and walk through any solid object. It's one of those 'amazing things' I was talking about, even if it gives me a tingling sensation.

As I stepped outside, I looked around to make sure that no one noticed the power. Fortunately, no one was around. I took this moment as an opportunity to look back at my home. I don't know why I did. Maybe it's from force of habit?

It's not much to look at, if anything at all: it's an old, gray, three-story mansion that was abandoned a long time ago by some lame car company. It was supposed to be torn down around a year ago, but they changed their minds because people kept saying it was haunted by evil spirits, ghosts to be specific. Which is half true, I guess. The day those rumors started was the same day I moved in. Sometimes, I noticed some teenagers walking around it, so I would scare them just a little bit for fun. I didn't do much except make creepy sounds and groans, and then use my dark powers to cast black shadows on the older kids, but it was enough to scare the crap out of them. The looks on their faces were priceless, you should've been there.

After taking a moment to chuckle at the pleasant memory, I've decided to get moving already. I don't know how long I was walking, but I somehow ended up in the more suburban part of the city. You know, that area where there are more people everywhere you look? I glanced at the nice, shrubbery scenery as I walked, trying to memorize every little detail.

There were so many people here, all were wearing a smile on his or her face. They all looked so...cheerful. So carefree, as if they didn't know anything about the horrid corruption of their city. As if they didn't know about all the horrible things going on around them, just outside their field of vision.

It made me a bit aggravated: how could they all be so ignorant? How could they all be so happy? How could they all smile like everything in life was so perfect when it's clearly not? Don't they know the dangers that people like me had to go through in this darn city? The people who are long forgotten, who have nothing left, the ones who had no other choice but to come here so they can just get by.

I could feel my anger beginning to reach its peak. I need to calm down before I lose control again. It isn't my place to be angry at this people simply because they're happy and I'm not. No, it isn't right.

**'Or is it?'**

"No. It's not."

**'But just look at them. Look at all those smiling faces. How could they be so cheerful?! You should make them feel your pain. Yes, make them feel our pain.'**

My head began to throb and pound terribly and my eyes wideded as I realized what's happening: he is trying to push me to my limit, trying to make me lose it again. No, I'm not going to lose control. I won't let him win, not again.

**'Come on, don't you think it might be fun to rip those stupid smiles off their faces? To feel their blood on our hands once more? It's been so long since we last had any real fun.'**

"You mean since YOU had any real fun."

**'Yeah whatever, just kill them already. You know you want to. Come on, just let go. At least for a little while.'**

"NO! I'm not listening to you!"

I have to get out of here. There are so many people here, it's making him excited. I need to go somewhere, a place where I can think. Somewhere I can calm myself before I go completely crazy. So I ran. I raced down the sidewalk as fast as my feet can take. I'm pretty sure I bumped into a few people, but I was too focused on getting the heck out of here to care.

If you don't mind, I'm going to let the story tell itself for a while. You don't mind, do you? Great. Ugh, I need some water; I'm parched. Whatever that Morgan Freeman guy gets paid, it ain't enough.

*3RD person p.o.v*

Liam ran for about ten minutes before finally finding a place where there weren't so much people: Central park. There were only a handful of citizens there, not enough to drive his 'better half' utterly crazy. Well, crazier.

Liam decided to take a look around to make sure that nobody posed a real threat. Now that was DEFINITELY a force of habit. He'd been on the run for so long, it's become like second nature to him. Fortunately, no one seemed like they were the type to pick a street fight. The only people here were a few picpockets, some guys practicing their bending, and then there's that one earth-bender dude who appeared to be showing off for some girl. Liam never understood why the male needs to be superior in front of a female, but hey, he was only fourteen. What did he know. So he simply shrugged it off and walked towards an oak tree that was near a stone statue of the last Avatar.

He leaned on the tall tree and sighed a deep breath of relief. Thankfully, Daku had finally calmed down at some point during his run. Liam knew it wouldn't be very long before he started bothering him again, but he decided to cross that bridge when he gets to it. For now, he'd just enjoy whatever relaxation time he could get. Besides, Liam liked it here. It was one of the only places in Republic City where he could actually relax. He still kept his guard up, but he was more at ease here than anywhere else. It brought back a lot of bittersweet memories.

_*Flashback: Eight years ago*_

_Liam was in a wide clearing. He was running across the rocky earth trying to catch a pretty butterfly-moth that just wouldn't stay still. He giggled with excitement as he jumped in the air in a futile attempt to catch the little creature, but was interrupted by a soft and caring voice._

_"You know, if you keep jumping around like that, you'll just scare it away."_

_Liam immediately stopped in his tracks and turned his head towards the sound. There, a short distance away from him, sat a beautiful woman with fair skin and long, black hair that reached down to her waist. She wore a red-and-black dress that reached to her knees like most Fire Nation women._

_"But Mama, I wanna play with it, but it won't stay still." He whined._

_Liam looked at her with large, raccoon-dog puppy eyes and gave a whimpering pout. She simply let out a small laugh before standing up and making her way over to him. She then sat down and lifted him onto her lap, making him let out another joyful giggle._

_"You can't capture something that is meant to be free, Liam. You have to let it come to you in time."_

_With those words, she raised her left arm in the air and waited patiently. No more than three seconds later, the butterfly-moth landed on her ring finger. Liam watched it in wonder and amazement as she brought it closer to him. He looked up to his mother as if asking permission to touch it. She sent him a soft smile before answering._

_"Go ahead. It won't bite. I promise."_

_Her warm and inviting smile was all the reassurance he needed. Gently, Liam reached out towards the little inse_ct _with his tiny, chubby hands and waited for it to land on them. His mission was partly successful: instead of landing in his hands, however, it flew past them entirely and landed on his little nose. His mother laughed in mirth as she watched him turn his head to the side, trying to look at the little, winged bug. He soon found himself laughing along with her as it tickled his nose before flying off into the blue sky. Liam watched it go with a sad smile on his face._

_"Bye bye."_

_Liam watched the insect go until it was completely out of sight. He then let out a small yawn that sounded more like a squeak before turning his body and cuddling up on his mother's stomach. She looked at him with a loving smile as she began to stroke his black hair. She then looked up to see multiple black blobs appear from underneath the ground. They just floated there for a moment before they began to form various shapes: some turned into stars, others became butterfly-moths and some even transformed into little people. She watched all this with a grin plastered on her face as opposed to the usual screams of fear and disgust that often came when someone from the village saw his strange bending. She knew he wouldn't harm her even if he tried; the shadows were simply reacting to his emotions, causing him to involuntarily bend them._

_She let out a sigh as she looked back down at Liam. He seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. She smiled at him before saying the words she would always say to him as he fell into a deep, peaceful slumber, a phrase that remained with him throughout his whole life._

_"Sweet dreams, my little one."_

_*End Flashback_*

Suddenly, Liam was snapped out of his own thoughts by a noise he hadn't heard in a while: the sound of a child's laughter. He looked up to find a little girl playing with her mother. He gave a large grin at the sight; it was absolutely adorable.

'Aw, that's so adorable.'

The sound of more laughter caught his full attention. However, it wasn't like the laughter of a child. This one was more ignorant and full of itself. He turned his attention to the noise and noticed that guy impressing that girl, except now, he was showing off his earth-bending technique to her. It wasn't working.

"So tell me babe, are you free this weekend?"

"Nope. I'll be spending it hiding from you."

"Ah come on, how can you say no to these sweet moves?"

"Uh, I really don't think you should do that."

"Don't worry. I've done this tons of ti-WHOA!"

Unfortunately, the man slipped and sent the floating boulders flying everywhere. Most of them hit trees, statues, and other environmental items except for one. One of them was heading straight for the the little girl and her mother. Liam noticed this and immediately, time seem to slow down for him. For a brief second, he didn't see the girl or her mother. Instead, he viewed a younger version of himself and his own mom. He knew there was no time to push them; there was one option left.

The child and her mother didn't notice the giant rock flying towards them until it was too late. There was no way they were going to get out of the way in time. It appeared to be the end of them... or so they figured.

Just as the boulder was about to hit them and surely end their lives, a black wall appeared out of the ground causing the boulder to smash into it instead and fall into many pieces. It looked like black fire except it appeared to be somewhat solid and sturdy. In fact, the mother and child could feel the cold temperature it was emitting from where they were sitting.

All the people in the park stopped what they were doing to figure out what happened. The mystical wall remained there for a moment longer before melting back into the ground. Everyone turned their attention from the black wall to Liam who still had his left hand raised towards the family of two. Everything was silent for a moment and Liam figured that they might not panic after a-

"AAH! MONSTER!"

Never mind.

Soon everyone was in panic and running around like crazy ants. Liam was pretty sure that he spotted one guy jump into a trashcan. Great. Just great. He had to get out of here and fast. The last thing he needed was another huge mob after his hide.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Korra was walking around Republic City, simply trying to enjoy some relaxation time before heading back to Air Temple island where she'll never have any peace whatsoever. Ever since she brought back the air-benders, things had gotten a little hectic. Tenzin would have her help train them which would often take up a lot of her time. It's been a while since she's had any time for herself. Heck, the only reason she's in Republic City in the first place is because she had to give another one of her Avatar speeches.<p>

At the moment, she was just looking around at the many stores and stands. She was bored. And it wasn't like she was very eager to go to Air Temple island anytime soon. Seriously, if something exciting didn't happen soon, she was going to-

"MONSTER!"

Wow, that actually works.

So with her wish come true, she followed the sounds of panicked screams to see what world-shattering problem needed her attention this time.

But with Liam, things weren't going so well. He managed to get out of the park, but now it seemed like the whole city was in panic. How the heck did that incident spread so fast anyway?!

**'I told you we should've killed them! Now look what you've gotten us into!'**

He ignored Daku's voice (which is quite an accomplishment) and kept on running. He had more important things to worry about than arguing with him at the moment. Like getting out of here before he got arrested or something.

"You! Stop right there!"

"Darn it!"

He turned his head and saw that he was being pursued by metal-benders. Just great! It HAD to be metal-benders, didn't it?! And they were gaining on him!

"Well, I already dark-bended once today. Might as well do it again."

And so he did. He summoned the shadows from under his feet and moved his arms in an ice skating motion. Soon, he was gliding slightly above the ground, just enough for him to move faster. He turned his head and didn't find the metal-benders behind him. He figured that he lost them until he heard a horrible screeching sound from above. That's when he spotted them: they were grinding on the electrical wires in an attempt to keep up with him and it was working!

Liam tried to lose them by turning the next corner, but was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw another group of metal-benders blocking his path while the last group landed behind him before he could make a break for it.

Soon, they were closing in on him. He had nowhere to run. He started to panic. This was all too familiar to him.

"Come along quietly and no one will get hurt, kid."

Liam didn't hear the officer, he didn't even see them. Instead, he saw the villagers from his old home: their faces filled with hatred as the tried to corner him. He remembered the fear he felt that day when they tried to kill him simply for what he was. It was all coming back to him and it was all too much for him to take.

"S-stay back!"

"Calm down, son. We're not going to hur-"

"G-get away f-from me! Stay b-back!" His shadow began to expand across the floor but nobody seemed to notice.

"Please calm down."

**'Yes, do it! Kill them before they kill you!'**

"I said STAY BACK!"

Suddenly, black tendrils shot out from his shadow. Some of the officers managed to get out of the way with a few injuries. Others weren't so lucky. Those who couldn't get away in time were literally ripped apart, their limbs and blood were everywhere, some of it even landed on Liam. He didn't notice though. He was on his knees holding his head while trying to push those horrible memories out of his head.

Korra had seen the metal-benders in pursuit of someone, but she didn't see who it was. She simply followed them in hopes of getting some action. When she finally caught up to them, the horrid sight almost made her sick.

She had seen many things in her life as the Avatar but never this: there was blood everywhere and some metal-benders were fighting off what looked like black tentacles with a boy sitting in a fetal position in the middle of them.

"What the...?"

However, she quickly snapped out of it. She had to act fast; they were being killed off like nobody's business. So she did what she did best: run in blindly.

The kid seem to notice Korra as the tendrils began aiming for her. Being more skilled than the metal-benders, she managed to dodge and counter most of them but it wasn't enough. One of them grabbed her leg and threw her against the wall. The moved in to make the final blow, but she managed to recover quickly enough to send a blast of fire at them, causing them to dissappear. She then had an idea.

She began moving her arms in a circular motion and began to create a medium-sized whirlwind around herself. She kept this up till she was inside a sphere of air. She then flew towards Liam at a great speed. The tendrils tried to stop her, but they couldn't get through the sphere and she soon found herself directly behind him.

Liam had no idea what was going on right now nor did he care. He just wanted it to be over, he just wanted to go home, he was so scared. He prayed that this was all a bad dream. That soon, he would wake up and be relieved that none of this was real. He wanted this to stop! Why wouldn't it stop?!

Before his thoughts could continue, he felt something hard hit the back of his head and then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two everyone. Yep, I'm still at it. Don't forget to give a big thank you and virtual cookie to **CorinnetheAnime** who beta-read and fixed this whole thing! Now onto the story!

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><p>(Warning: this part is a little dark so skip the italics if don't like that stuff. Also, I recommend that you read the italics while listening to Quiet Slumber by Shadow6Nothing9...it adds affect okay?!)<p>

_Death._

_That was all I could see. Everywhere I looked, everything was either destroyed or dead. Homes were left in ruins or set ablaze, bodies were lying dead on the streets in pools of their own blood and intestines. The screams of survivors could be heard throughout the village as they were picked off one by one. There was blood and limbs everywhere. Hands, eyes, heads, torsos you name it. Just where the hell am I?_

_I could hear my feet splashing on the crimson-colored puddles as I walked through the streets that seemed to be covered in an endless amount of blood at this point. I tried not to step on any of the bodies, but that was easier said than done. The corpses were everywhere, each in a stiff state of death. Some were crushed, others were ripped apart, a few looked like they were simply beaten to death, and so on. The list was endless._

_"H-hello...?" My voice echoed through the village. I prayed that I would get a response, but there was nothing but silence. Even Daku was quiet. I looked up towards the sky and was shocked to see that it was also red. No clouds, sun or moon, just an endless blanket of scarlet. I decided to try calling out again. "Is anyone there?"_

_That's when I heard them: the sound of footsteps walking across the pavement. Footsteps that are coming to me! I turned around and noticed a silhouette of a figure in the distance. I couldn't make out any physical features, but I knew that the figure noticed me. I could hear the echoing sound of footsteps get louder and louder as it grew closer to me. My mind raced in anticipation: I had to get out of here!_

_So I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could go. I was so terrified that I completely forgot all about my dark bending powers. Besides, I doubt it would've been much help anyways._

_I guess the figure didn't like that the fact that I retreated because it quickly gave pursue after me. Whoever it was, it was catching up to me fast, literally right behind me!_

_This was it. I was going to die at the hands of this thing and there was no way of stopping it. Already, I could feel the dark presence right behind me. I shut my eyes and kept running, even though I knew it was pointless. I waited for this thing to grab me so it could end my life already, but nothing happened. Suddenly, everything was silent once more. I looked over my shoulder and found nothing. The figure was gone._

_"W-what?"_

_I stopped running and stared in the direction it came from. 'Where did it go? Did I lose it? No, I couldn't have. It was moving way too fast for me to actually escape. So where did it go?' It was like it just disappeared, vanished into thin air like magic._

_I figured that just standing here wasn't going to get me the answers I want, and I definitely won't wait here in case the figure came back. So I starting walking again, away from the direction it came from. I don't know how long I was walking for, this place seemed to go on forever, but that didn't stop me. It had to end at some point, right?_

_I looked down at my shoes which were now utterly soaked in blood. I could still find small chunks of human flesh and muscle on the ground, making me cringe in disgust. I walked on. Some of the pieces were still throbbing as if trying to cling on whatever life they had left in them. I was so busy paying attention to them that I almost didn't hear a squishy sound coming from under my left tennis shoe. Lifting it up, I noticed that I had accidentally stepped on somebody's dislocated eyeball._

_"Ugh! Gross! Could this get any worse?"_

_That's when I heard something else. It sounded like the scream of a woman. What frightened me the most was the fact that I immediately recognized the owner. The sick thought made my muscles taut in apprehension, fearing the worst._

_"Mother?"_

_I heard the horrifying scream again. I began to panic and started running towards the sound of the screaming. I knew I had to get there and fast or...I don't even want to think about what could happen._

_After a while, the screaming stopped abruptly and my mind began to dread the worst possibilities. My fears were only confirmed when I found her. She was lying on the firm ground, her form motionless and covered in blood._

_"MOTHER!_

_I ran over to her and turned her body over from her side. I almost screamed at the sight: there was a gigantic, black hole in her chest where her heart should've been. Black blood oozed from the wound like a gory river. Her eyes were lifeless and more blood was leaking out of the corners of her mouth. Her facial expression was one of pure terror, frozen forever in her death-like state. I felt bitter tears flow from my eyes and stream down my cheeks as I stared at her dead body. This can't be happening, I have to get out of here. I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home, please._

_Just then, I heard a splat of a liquid drip from behind me. My eyes widened as I turned around to face whoever it is, only to see two, glowing red eyes. No whites and pupils were visible, just two, pure, dark, glowing, evil, red eyes..._

* * *

><p>"AAHHH!"<p>

**"Morning, Sleeping Beauty. How nice of you to finally join us."**

"W-What?"

I looked around my current surroundings, wondering where the heck I am. The place looked like a room made entirely out of metal. Grey, cold, hard metal. There was even a metal chair which my butt was currently all too familiar with. Heck, there was even a metal table in front of me. If I was less terrified from my nightmare, I would've made a comment about the lack of interior design and creativity.

Speaking of nightmares, the images of mine began to swarm my brain. It just felt so real...like a memory. I remember every little detail of it as if the terrible dream just happened three seconds ago. All the blood, all those dead people, the look of horror etched on my mother's face, that horrible screaming expression, not to mention the actual screaming. So much screaming. I'll never forget that empty look in her eyes. The eyes...those disturbing red eyes. Whose owns such a terrifying pair of eyes? Just what was that thing...why was it after me? When they noticed me, it felt like they were looking right through me; I shuddered from the memory. I thought they were going to kill me right then and there. I was so scared. Is this what people felt when I got out of control? Is this what they felt when they looked at me? Memories of what I did to those metal-benders began to hit me like a giant truck. Is this what they felt when they saw what I was capable of?

**"Snap out of it, boy! Now is not the time for you to be thinking of a petty nightmare. We have a real problem to deal with."**

"Huh?" I then looked at myself and noticed that all my hands and legs were tied together. Whoever captured me must think that I rely on my arms and legs to bend like most benders, which is completely false by the way.

**"Well? What are you waiting for? Bend us out of here! Or go intangible or something!"**

"No way! We're in enough trouble as it is! We don't need the 'escaped criminal' status to boot. Where are we anyway?"

**"We've been taken to a police station and have been placed into an interrogation room."**

"Police station? How the heck did we get here?! Weren't those metal-benders killed during my little 'episode'? How did they beat us?"

**"HA! Don't ask such stupid questions like an idiot! Do you really think those weaklings could touch us?! They were nothing!"**

"But then, who knocked us out...? Wait, what was that?"

Suddenly, I heard a noise from behind a metal door that I didn't notice before, until now. Actually, there were three noises to be accurate and they were getting louder and more clearer. From what I could hear, they sounded like... human voices?

That's when I heard the metal door give a resounding click, signaling that it has been unlocked.. My eyes widened in expectation as I watched the door slowly open, as if telling me in a way that I was doomed.

'Oh, time to face my punishment.' I figured as I waited for my persecutor to walk in. I began to wonder who I'd be up against here: an intimidating, muscle-bound chief with a black eye-patch like a pirate? An overly paranoid warden with a scar across his face? Hey, anything is possible. I was expecting someone threatening. Imagine my surprise when I see who walks in. Ladies and gentlemen, our scary interrogator is...a teenage girl!

I raised one eyebrow in confusion as she stood in front of me with her hands flat on the table to keep her steady. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow of her own like she was studying me. I took this opportunity to get a good look at her: she had tanned skin and dark brown hair. She was also wearing water tribe clothes. I couldn't tell if it was Southern or Northern, but it still made me nervous. I'm not exactly a fan of water-benders. It's not that I personally hold anything against them, it's just that I've heard stories of how they're able to turn dark spirits into light spirits and from what I've been told from the dark spirits; it's not a pleasant experience. I just hope she doesn't know I'm a demi spirit.

I pushed the disturbing image to the back of my head and looked back at her piercing eyes. They were the lightest shade of blue I had ever seen. My eyes wondered lower and...oh my gosh...

I think she noticed me staring because she gave me the most mischievous smirk a girl has even given to a boy. "Like what ya see?"

I almost choked on my own saliva when I heard that. What the heck?! What kind of interrogator asks that?! How do I even respond to that?!

"W-what?!"

"Oh please. I saw you checking me out and by the way, I'm way out of your league, kid."

What?! The heck I was! Okay fine, so maybe I was staring a little, but it wasn't like I was checking her out or anything. I was just studying her since she was studying me. It's only fair, right? Hey, wait a minute...WHAT DOES SHE MEAN "OUT OF MY LEAGUE"?!

"I was NOT checking you out! I was simply trying to get a good look at you. You were doing the same to me!"

"Sure you were. I bet you got a REALLY good look at my chest."

"I wasn't staring at your chest, lady!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Well..?"

"...I'm a fourteen year-old boy, give me a break..."

Her smirk widened at my defeat as I just sat there with a frown on my face. I swear that I heard Daku laughing at my embarrassment from inside my head.

"Well, I gotta admit, you're not exactly what I was expecting." She stated.

I raised my other eyebrow slightly and gave her a questioning look. She was expecting me? "What do you mean?"

"I mean that when I followed those metal-benders, I was expecting to find some dangerous criminal, not some scared little kid."

"Are you always this ignorant?" I asked her bluntly. I may not be proud of the things I've done, quite the opposite in fact, but I'm not a person to be taken so lightly. I could kill her right now if I wanted to! Of course I won't for morality's sake, but I could! If there's one thing I've learned, it's never take a monster for a joke, especially considering the fact that I'm the worse kind of monster there is. I frowned at the dark thought, but wiped it away as quick as it came, hoping she didn't notice.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, you raised hell on those metal-benders but still, I was expecting someone a little more...mature."

Clearly, she wasn't one for words, but it still ticked me off. Especially when she mentioned what I did. I'm forced to live with it everyday; I DO NOT need to be reminded of it every two seconds!

"Yes, let your anger fuel you. Make her pay the ultimate price for her foolishness."

I was really close to listening to Daku, but I managed to hold on to whatever self-control I had left inside of me. I was still ticked off though.

"Oh yeah? Well, when I noticed I was gonna be interrogated, I figured it would be by someone threatening, not some ignorant, teenage girl!" I yelled, my voice dripping with venom at the last part. I guess I struck a chord because she looked as angry as I am.

"Excuse me?!"

Before all heck broke loose, the door was flung open with a loud _bang. _ We both jumped in surprise from the sound and stared at whoever made the offensive noise, noticing a woman with grey hair walking in. She had green eyes and a scar across her right cheek. She was completely covered in some sort of metal uniform from the neck down.

"That cannot be comfortable." My mind considered.

She gave us both a sharp glare that could probably freeze the ocean better than any water-bender on earth. I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine as her narrowed eyes focused on me especially.

"Okay, now SHE is scary." I whimpered.

She continued to glare at us for a moment or two before walking over to us, followed by another person: this one was male and looked about the same age as the grey-haired woman. He had no hair on him other than the beard on his face and was dressed in air-bender clothing. At least, that's what I assume anyway. I've never really seen an air-bender before, but there weren't any other elements that came to my mind when I spotted the yellow and orange colors. His face was calm and relaxed even as I stared at him in confusion. Did he not get the memo or something? I bend darkness and killed millions of people. How could he be so calm? The entire room was silent until the old woman finally spoke.

"Korra, stop arguing with the suspect."

"Aw, come on! He started it."

"Korra..."

"Okay, fine."

The girl, who I guess must be Korra, moved away from the table and leaned against a nearby wall. I gave her a smile before sticking my tongue out at her and making a "mmmm!" sound. She scoffed and looked away. I would've laughed a little if it wasn't for the fact that the she-beast now had her sights on me. I gulped as she moved in front of the desk. Man, she's even scarier up close.

**"Hmph, she's nothing! If you would just show her what REAL fear looks like, we'd be out of here already! Come on! Do it! Paint these grey walls red with their blood! Do it! Do it now!"**

My eye began to twitch as I tried to ignore the great migraine throbbing in my skull. I can't let him get to me. This is the last place I want to lose control. The people of this city are already afraid of me simply for my bending. Just imagine how they'd react if they found out I killed the chief of police! No wait, I already know. It's happened before...

"Alright kid, I want answers and I want them fast, got it?"

Man, even her voice was terrifying, but I stood my ground. No, I didn't glare at her or give her a smirk or something stupid like that. I don't want to get in even more trouble. I simply took a deep breath, reluctantly looked into her light green eyes and nodded without wetting myself. She seemed satisfied with that because she began to speak again in a ever-so-slightly softer tone.

"Good. Alright, first question: who are you?"

I gasped. Why did she have to ask that? If they found out who I am, they might find out WHAT I am. I began to panic. If they find out my identity, I'll surely be executed. My head would be stuck on a pole for all to se-

**"Calm down brat! We destroyed the entire village, remember? That includes your files. And even if they did find out, it would just be an excuse for you to finally let me loose."** He cackled harshly after spatting out that last part. Of course he would. This is all just some opportunity for him to kill more people.

I guess I must've been silent for a while because the woman looked even angrier than before. It wasn't long before she started threatening me again.

"Okay, listen kid; there are files filled with details on everyone in the city, but I couldn't find anything on you. No name, no age, no nationality, nothing! It's like you've just showed up out of nowhere and I don't like that. So I'm going to ask this question again; who are you?"

I gulped again before before answering in a shaky tone. "L-Liam.."

" Last name?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, kid."

"I don't have one..."

She gave me another cold glare and stayed like that for a moment. I think she could tell that I'm lying, but she either ignored it or simply didn't care because she went on to the next and probably more important question.

"Alright kid, I'm just going to get straight to the point here. I want to know what it was that you did back there that killed an entire squad of my men. I've been on hundreds of case and have seen many things but I've never seen anyone summon up black tentacl-"

"Shadows..." I interrupted. By now, everyone in the city probably knows what I've done, so I see no point in hiding it now. I'll probably be sent to prison after this anyway or maybe get executed. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

"What?""Those tentacles? They were shadows..."

Everything was silent for a moment as I waited for her reaction. She'll probably ask me to explain myself...then freak out afterwards.

"Alright kid, start talking."

Told ya.

I took a deep breath, getting ready for a very awkward explanation. I hated talking about my abilities and for a very good reason. If you've done the kind of things I have, you'd probably hate talking about it too.

I sighed heavily before deciding to just get this over with. The sooner this was done, the better. "Alright look, I'm not like other benders, okay? Far from it really."

I heard Korra scoff before muttering, "No kidding." A glare from the bald guy quickly shut her up. I sent her a glare of my own before turning my attention back to the grey-haired woman and decided to get straight to the point already.

"I have the ability to bend darkness and anything related to it. I can morph and use it in any form I wish. It usually doesn't end well for others, but I'm trying not to hurt anyone with it, I swear!"

"Oh yeah, because you did a really good job trying not to hurt my men."

I cringed at that. Did she have to say it in such a mean way? "Okay, so maybe I still need a little training, but that was a complete accident! I was scared and my shadow bending is linked to my emotions."

I waited for their reactions. I expected them to scream or even kill me on the spot. What I wasn't expecting was for them to be so calm. Seriously, I just told them that I bend shadows and they're looking at me like I have five fingers. It's mildly insulting. At least the bald guy's eyebrows raised half a centimeter. That counts as something, right?

"Could you show me?"

"Huh?"

"If I untied you, would you give me a demonstration of 'dark bending'?"

I guess the bold guy noticed that this might be a bad idea because he decided to interject.

"Lin, I don't think that's a good idea."

Ahh, there's the fear I know and hate.

"I know what I'm doing, Tenzin."

Hmmm...Lin and Tenzin, huh? Not bad names. A bit odd, but I suppose Liam isn't exactly normal either.

"So, do we have a deal?"

I thought about it for a second. If I show them, would they panic? They seemed to be doing well so far. At least they didn't ask how I got these abilities. That would NOT end well.

"Alright, but only if none of you panic."

Lin nodded and moved over to me. She stood behind me and I felt the movement of metal before my arms and legs were finally free. It happened so fast that I paused for a moment to analyse the situation. I then stood up and stretched my sore arms and legs. Man, those ropes were really uncomfortable.

I then extended my arm and opened my hand, as if offering it to them. I stared at my palm in deep concentration. They all waited and it almost seemed like nothing was going to happen. The old guy was about to say something, but his mouth closed when a shadow began to appear in my hand. Like the black wall, it looked like fire except it was black and much colder. I heard Tenzin and Lin gasp at the sight before I suddenly had an idea. I began to morph the shadow until it formed a very interesting shape. Korra must've got onto it because she started asking me.

"Is that...haggis?"

I smirked before answering. "Looks like it, huh? It looks like haggis in shape, but it's actually a shadow that I molded to look like it."

"But why would you-"

"So I can do this." With that, I pulled my arm back and aimed. This was gonna be good.

I threw the black haggis and it was about to hit her, but with the flick of my wrist, it changed direction and hit boldly right in the target's face. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at his surprised expression.

"Congratulations, my friend! You are officially the black sheep of your family!" I then turn my face to you. Yes you, the reader. "Also, congrats to any of you who actually get the joke! Okay, no more breaking the fourth wall. Back to the story."

Korra and I laughed as he tried in vain to wipe it off. After a few minutes, I've decided to give him a break and raised my hand to bend it off.

I then moved my other arm and began to draw streams of darkness from all around us and fused them all into one big ball of darkness. They watched in amazement (or fear. I couldn't tell) as the black shape began to change. Soon, a dragon made entirely out of shadows stood in the middle of the room. I moved my ams to the right to make it move in that direction. I made it fly around the room and did a few other tricks like slicing the metal table in two before lowering my arms, cause all the shadows in the room to dissipate into the air.

They all looked me with wide eyes, their minds trying to process on what I just did. Lin looked at the broken table before looking back at me. Her face showed that she meant business.

"Are you aware of how dangerous your abilities are? It took the Avatar to take you down, you know." She stated, gesturing to Korra. Wait, she's the Avatar? I looked at her in shock as she raised her hand and smiled. Great, just great. I try my best to keep a low profile and avoid any unwanted attention and what happens? I get captured by the freaking Avatar! Just freaking great! I sighed before choosing to plead my case.

"Look, I do my best to try and avoid as much attention as possible. What happened in the city was a complete fluke, okay? There was this earth-bender who had no idea what he was doing and almost hurt a little a little girl and her mother. I used my bending to protect them. Nothing more, nothing less. After everyone saw what I can do. they just...panicked. Everyone was screaming and running in circles, so I ran away, okay!? I'm the innocent one here! You have to believe me!"

"Accident or not, you still killed a whole squadron of my men!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"Everyone stop!"

We all froze and looked at Korra. She looked pretty irritated with our arguing. " We got the story and that all we needed. Now, can we please just go to the council and let them decide what to do with him?"

They all looked at each other before looking at me, then back at each other. They nodded and began to escort me out this bland, metal room.

The walk to the council building (or whatever it's called) was very awkward and completely silent. Tenzin kept trying to sneak glances at me, but I always caught him. Clearly, he did not trust me, although I can't say I blame him for it. I don't even trust myself.

I sighed. Why were they making this so hard? I just wanted to leave. I didn't want to be here, I want to go home. I can't hurt anyone there and they can't hurt me. With these people all around me, I was scared. I want to go back to my home, but then again, let's face it, I have no home.

We finally made it to our destination: the building was enormous, even the doors were larger than us. As we walked through the halls, I could feel the frightened stares of everyone and hear them whisper behind my back as I walked past. It was driving Daku completely crazy. He kept trying to get me to kill everyone in the building. I was very close to drawing tears and screaming from the pressure when we finally reached the council room, walking through the pearly-white double doors.

When we walked in, I spotted four people standing inside the room. Tenzin walked over and started talking with them, no doubt to explain my situation. The started talking to each other ,but I wasn't paying much attention to their conversation, I was too busy trying to sort out my thoughts.

I glanced over at Korra who looked like she wasn't really paying attention either. So she's the Avatar, huh? I thought the Avatar was supposed to be some super powerful bender with endless wisdom. This girl doesn't even seem to know what's going on. Then again, I don't exactly look all that dangerous myself, do I?

"Ahem!"

I snapped out of my little dream world and looked over to the council. Tenzin did not look very happy, in fact, he looked downright peeved. Wonder what's wrong with him.

"We have come to an agreement and have decided that until Liam can improve on his dark bending..."

I waited anxiously to hear my sentence. Now I know that I won't be executed which means I'll probably be sent to prison or maybe be forced into their defense forces or-

"That he shall be sent to Air Temple Island where he will live and train his skill under the Avatar's constant supervision until further notice."

Korra and I both reacted the same way.

"WHAT?!"


	3. Chapter 3

I own no characters in this story except Liam and Daku and maybe a few other that will be added later. This was beta-read by **CorinnetheAnime. **Dont forget to rreview!

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><p><strong>*Liam's pov*<strong>

I sighed as we continued to walk through the streets of Republic City. I could already tell that the people were looking at me with pure fear and hatred, but for once in my life, I didn't care. Under normal circumstances, I would've run all the way to home, but right now, I had a larger and more important problem on my hands:

I'm trying to ignore Korra's constant whining and man, it's so hard to disregard the noise.

"Ugh! I can't believe this! Of all the punishments they could've given, they had to come up with the one that involved me! Why couldn't they have just thrown him in a prison or something?!"

She's been like this since I was sentenced to remain under her watch twenty four/seven. I'm pretty sure they've forgotten that I'm right here because it's been like half an hour since we left that place, not to mention the fact that it took Tenzin and me another half an hour to hold her down so she wouldn't charge back in there and beat the snot out of the entire council. I was beginning to wish Lin was still here. She seemed to have a knack for shutting this girl up. Unfortunately, she left to attend some police business or whatever back at the station.

You're probably wondering how I feel about all this. I'm right, aren't I? See, I know you all so well. Well, I'd be lying if I was excited. In fact, I don't like this situation any more than Korra does. The only difference between us is that I know that complaining about our current predicament won't change anything, although I suppose she figures that it wouldn't hurt to try.

I was kind of nervous as well but I hid that behind sarcasm and blunt humour. I was hoping to be able to live in this city alone and in peace, but now, I have to go live on an island full of air-benders and practice my bending while trying not to hurt and/or kill any of them, and oh, making sure that I don't lose control and cause a whole catastrophe. Republic City was my last hope of living a peaceful live, but I ended up blowing that too.

"Korra, he's only fourteen. He's not old enough to be sent to prison. Not to mention that because of his 'special gift', you're the only person the council can trust who can keep him out of trouble." Tenzin replied.

I looked at him with a blank stare before sighing despondently. Who was he trying to fool? It's as clear as day that he's just as ticked about this as she is, if not more. I can't really blame him, I guess. During her rant, I heard Korra mention something about him having a family and now, he has to let a potentially dangerous person into his home and live dangerously close to them. Still, are the not-so-secret glares really necessary?

I was starting to feel extremely awkward around these two. They look like they want to ditch me the first chance they get, not that I'd care if they did, but I didn't like being forgotten. To make matters worse, I was walking right between them.

We were half-way to the docks when I stopped and looked to my left. I guess they noticed my action because they also stopped and stared at me. I turned my attention back to them and finally decided to speak.

"Umm...Do you mind if we stopped by my place? There's something I need to get before we go. It's not far from here. "

They both gave me their odd looks before agreeing. If I were to be living with these people, then I would need to bring a few things to help me avoid as much attention as possible. If I'm lucky, I'll be invisible to them...and everyone else.

It took me about five minutes to get there. The entire walk was silent and even more awkward than before. I figured Korra finally remembered that I have ears because she didn't say a word, but she still casted an angry pout on her face. That changed when they saw my home. Aah, abandoned mansion sweet abandoned mansion.

Tenzin had a look of genuine surprise on his face while Korra had the same one, but mixed with wariness. I guess this place gave off a creepy vibe or something. Well, what were they expecting, a nice little cottage with a comfy fireplace? Yeah, I don't think so. Yes, that was sarcasm.

I fazed myself through the door before they could voice their thoughts. I know it's not exactly a homey looking place, I don't need to be reminded of it. Once I was in, I immediately made my way up the stairs towards the bedroom. When I walked in, I took a look around the dusty, old, white room, my own little way of saying goodbye.

Everything was the same as the day I moved in. The bed was untouched...except for a small notebook in the center. Dark spirits don't need sleep, but half-dark spirits need to sleep every once in a while and usually not for very long. Only for about two hours, give or take a few minutes.

I made my way over to the bed and picked up the notebook. Inside were many drawings I'd sketched in my spare time. It was one of my most prized possessions, that and two other items. The second one was the chain that is currently sitting around my neck, resting on my collarbone. Attached to it was a decent-sized ruby in the shape of teardrop. The final one was a pair of bracelets that circled on both of my wrists. On my right one was a plain gold bracelet with a small emerald on it. On my left was a silver bracelet with an amethyst on it.

I never went anywhere without these items except for the notebook; they all mean the world to me. They're all I have left from the three incidents that I call "The Three Trails". Well, Daku calls it that and I just go with it. He says that he calls them that because they made me who I am today, whatever that is. I felt a single tear fall from my eye as I remembered them. I quickly wiped it away and started packing a few other things in a small bag before leaving the room.

When I fazed my way out of the house, I found Korra and Tenzin waiting for me. I expected them to ditch me, but I guess I was wrong. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

"Alright, I'm ready."I stated. Korra looked at me with a raised eyebrow as I went ahead. They followed at a faster pace until they stood next to me once more.

"That's all you're bringing? A book and a really tiny bag?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"What about your necessities? Like clothing or food?"

I shrugged before answering. "You already know where I live. Does it look like I have enough money for those things?"

That question caused them to go silent as we continued our journey to the docks. I just wanted to get there, go to Air Temple Island and practice my bending so I can get this day over with already.

I think I'll let the story tell itself for a while. After all, I'm sure there are other thoughts you wanna hear, right? Don't worry, you'll still get to hear my colorful insight. I'm just tired, ya know? Glad you understand.

***Normal pov***

By the time they made it to the docks, the sun was already starting to set. The sky was painted in different shades of red, yellow and orange, a truly beautiful sight to behold. Too bad no one was really enjoying it.

"I still don't get why I have to do this." The water-tribe teen groaned as she leaned over the side of the boat. They were about half-way to Air Temple Island as of now. Tenzin and Korra were talking about their "newest member of the family".

"Because Korra, you're probably the only person we know right now who would stand a chance against him in a fight. Plus, he needs to learn how to use his bending so we don't have another incident like what happened earlier today."

"Oh cut the crud. You don't want him coming with us either and you know it. Heck, I think he knows it too."

Korra was in no mood for any of Tenzin's "do the right thing" lectures right now. She went to Republic City to have some alone time and now, thanks to this kid, she'll never have alone time ever again. She was stuck babysitting this child until he mastered his dark-bending and who knows how long that'll take!

Tenzin's eyes widened at her accusation. He tried to come up with an appropriate response, but all he could do was stutter and cough. "Wha...no...I don't...I would never...is it that obvious?"

"All you're missing is the sign saying 'I hate you.' "

Tenzin sighed. "Alright, maybe I don't trust the boy but can you blame me? He killed an entire squad of metal-benders and apparently, it was all by accident. Just imagine what he could do if he were to purposely put our lives in danger. The air-benders just came back from extinction, I don't want them to be wiped out again! Beside, where could we possibly find a teacher for him?!"

Korra was about to reply until something behind Tenzin caught her attention. She looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at what she saw. "Uh. I don't think that'll be a problem."

Tenzin gave her a confused look before turning to see what she was staring at: there, sitting on one of the many boxes on the boat, was Liam. He appeared to be meditating: sitting with his legs crossed, eyes closed and his hands on his knees. Streams of shadows floated around him as he concentrated on his bending.

Tenzin looked at the boy then back at Korra. That's when he got an idea. He looked at Korra and let out a long sigh; it wasn't a very good idea but it was the only one he had right now and he needed to protect his family.

"Korra, perhaps you should go talk to him."Korra gave him a questioning look that just screamed 'why should I?' Tenzin let out yet another sigh; this was gonna be harder then he thought.

"Look, he said that his bending was linked to his emotions, right? So, maybe if you go over there and play nice with him, it might lessen the chances of him accidentally killing us."

"What? No way! That's dishonest!"

"Since when has that ever stopped you before?"

"...Good point. Still, I'm not going to pretend to be his friend just to ensure our safety."

"Please, Korra! I'm begging you!"

Korra groaned. "Alright, alright, I'll do it, but you owe me! "

With that, Korra made her way over to Liam. Unbeknownst to them, Liam had heard ever word they said. He was wondering when they'd realize that just because his eyes were closed didn't mean that his ears were also turned off. He smirked when he heard Tenzin going on about finding him a teacher; he actually already had a dark bending teacher. One that has been with him since he was ten. One that was strong, disciplined, honest-

**"Concentrate boy! You can eavesdrop on the old man and overgrown child later! You currently have more important things to worry about!"**

And a giant pain in the butt.

It seemed that Daku actually knew more about dark bending than Liam did, despite only making himself known to the boy at the age of ten. So they made a deal: he would help Liam master his bending and in return, Liam would realise him in a fight but ONLY if necessary. He seemed fine with the condition for now and has been teaching Liam ever since.

His eyes rolled in annoyance despite being closed in concentration. Sure, he was right, but that didn't mean he had to be such a jerk about it. However, before Liam could get back to his training, he immediately felt Korra's presence in front of him. Not giving her a chance to say anything, he opened his eyes and sent her a glare.

"Don't even think about it."

"Huh?"

"I heard you guys talking. You don't have to pretend to like me just for your own protection, so you can go tell Tenzin that he has nothing to worry about because I don't plan on hurting anyone."With that, Liam stood up and made his way to the front of the boat, not even sparing a glance to Korra as he walked past her. She looked at Tenzin for advice, but he just shrugged while giving her a 'don't look at me' look, causing her to facepalm.

"Well, that backfired." She muttered.

As Liam stood at the front of the small transport boat, Daku took this opportunity to have a little fun with his weaker half.

**"Well well, someone's angry."**

Liam let out a mental groan that he was sure Daku could hear anyway. Or maybe he couldn't. He wasn't sure if they shared the same brain or not. Just the same body.

"I know, I know. I might have been a tad harsh to her back there, but it was a necessary evil. Every time I get attached to someone, something bad happens. It'll be best for everyone if I just avoid them. It's called 'The Three Trials' for a reason. I don't need to add a fourth."

**"You do realise that won't work, right?"**

"Oh, what do you know?"

**"I'm you, remember? I know just as much about everything as you do."**

"It was a rhetorical ques- you know what? Never mind."

Liam sighed and leaned over the edge of the boat. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Daku was right. He knew he couldn't avoid everyone (especially Korra), but what else could he do? He didn't have many options now, now did he? The plan was a long shot, but it was worth a shot no less. Right?

**"You keep telling yourself that, boy. But you know as much as I do that sooner or later, you'll lose control and blood WILL be shed. Yes, so much blood."**

Liam's left eye began to twitch and his head start to hurt. He was trying to push him again. That meant that there was a highly populated area nearby and he knew it. Daku had a knack for knowing where his next victim would be. It's one of the reasons why Liam wasn't dead...yet.

His grip on the boat tightened while his other hand held his head. He looked up and saw it. He was right. They were almost at Air Temple Island.

"Darn it. I haven't even stepped foot on the island yet and I'm already having trouble controlling you. I just can't catch a break, can I?"

To make matters worse, he started to hear footsteps from behind him. He was hoping it was just one of the ship's workers but be honest, has anything ever gone his way today?

"Hey kid, you okay?" He turned and saw Korra looking at him with slight concern. Crud. How was he gonna out of this one? He needed an excuse, a really good one. One that was so good, so well thought out, so believable that it would gain her trust and wipe away all suspicion of him in one fell swoop.

"Um...yeah, I'm fine. Just a little..um..seasick."

Or he could say that. Whatever works for the greater good.

She seemed satisfied with that answer and walked back over to Tenzin to talk about something he didn't really care much about. As soon as she was out of sight, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"That was way too close. I have to be a little more careful with how I react to that from now on."

Liam then took a deep breath and, with great difficulty, tried to ignore his enormous migraine. He managed to withstand it for about three seconds before it became too unbearable, making him grip his head again. Yeah, this was going to be a lot harder than he figured.

***Liam's pov***

See? Told ya I'd be back. You missed me, didn't you? That's okay, I missed you too. I like talking to you. It's somewhat therapeutic to say the least.

Anyway, we had just arrived at Air Temple Island, and to say that I was amazed would be an understatement. I had never even seen one air-bender before and now I could see them everywhere I looked. I've never seen so many benders in one place before. More or less, a race of benders that were supposed to be extinct.

Some of them gave me some odd looks as they walked past them that made me a little uncomfortable. Was something wrong? I looked down at down at myself, then at Korra, then back at all the air-benders. Was it my choice of clothes? Were I and Korra the only ones not wearing the traditional, yellow-and-orange airbender garbs? Will they make me wear them too? Oh heck no! I'll stick with black-and-red, thank you.

The closer we got to the temple, the more they stared at me. I was starting to get really annoyed, trying to resist the urge to yell out, "I get it! I stick out like a sore thumb! You can stop staring at me now!", but I held my tongue. The old guy doesn't like me here as it is, I don't need to make it worse by shouting at his students. And boy, there were a lot of them.

We were at the front entrance of a really tall tower that I'm guessing is the main part of the temple when I heard it, the reason they were all looking at me. A small group of them were listening to a radio broadcast, a broadcast about me. I snuck away from Korra and Tenzin and moved closer so I could hear the radio report better. I stood behind them, but remained completely silent. The last thing I need at the moment is people screaming at the sight of me. Fortunately, they didn't even notice.

_"After being knocked out by the Avatar, the boy was taken to the Republic City police station for questioning. Witnesses described the boy as young, about fourteen or fifteen, short with pale brown skin, red eyes, and wearing red-and-black clothing. He is potentially dangerous. Citizens are warned to stay clear of him at all costs."_

"Hey, I'm not short! I'm of average height for a teenager!"

They all went stiff and slowly, and I mean really slowly, turned towards me. An awkward silence hung in the air like a dense fog. They just sat there, staring at me like I'm some newly discovered species. It starting to freak me out so I decided to say something before they forgot to breathe. I put on a tiny smile and gave a small wave. Yeah, I guess you can say I'm not exactly the most social person out there. "Umm...hi."

That didn't work because they immediately made a break for it. I winced when one guy who clearly wasn't looking where he was going ran into a wall.

"There you are!"

I turned and saw Korra standing right behind me and almost jumped out of my skin. Where the heck did she come from?! No wonder those guys got such a fright.

"Don't sneak off like that! Tenzin nearly got a heart attack when he noticed you were gone."

That's sounds like something I would've loved to see. I imagined him spazing out on the floor, all twitchy-like. I couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image. Korra must've noticed because she also gave me that smirk she used back at the station.

"Something tells me we just had the same fantasy. Now come on, we need to introduce you.

"When we got back to the entrance, Tenzin did not look as funny as I hoped. He was ticked. Luckily, most of his anger was at Korra for not doing her job right. That doesn't mean he didn't give me a good ripping either, mind you.

The inside of the temple was like a giant maze. It was just hallways, hallways and more hallways. It seems like a fun place to play hide and seek though. Halfway through the room, I was tempted to just ditch them and faze through the walls and I probably would've...if it weren't for the fact that I have no idea where they're taking me in the first place. I turned to Korra and tugged on her clothes to get her attention.

"Hm? What's up?"

"Where did you say you were taking me again?"

"We're going to introduce you to Tenzin's family. Best to do it now rather then have them scream at the sight of you later, right?"

That's been happening to me all day. I wonder if I could make an orchestra out of it. What should we call it? ' The Screaming Banshees'? Sure, that could work. 'Come one come all, and witness the musical styling of 'The Screaming Banshees!', conducted by Liam! No flash photography aloud. Hehehe.'

Unfortunately, my musical genius was interrupted by Korra pulling on my ear which is NOT a fun sensation. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Hey, what are you smiling about?"

Really? She pulled my ear, something that nobody really enjoys, so she could ask me that question?! And I'm expected to spend everyday with this woman? Someone, please kill me now.

"Anything IMPORTANT you want to tell me?"

"Yeah actually. We're here. Tenzin already went in there to tell them what happened."

"Huh?"

I looked ahead and noticed we were in front of the sliding doors and that Tenzin really was missing. 'Well, that was fast. How long was I in that pipe dream?' I mentally joked.

"Sooo what? We just wait out here until he's done?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Well, why didn't you go with him?"

"Because I'm supposed to be watching you, remember? If I lose you again, Tenzin wouldn't let me hear the end of it. Besides, I don't want to be in there for Pema's reaction."

"What are yo-"

"WHAT?!"

"And there it is." Korra remarked with a laugh. I, on the other hand. jumped to the other side of the hallway in fear. Forget hiding behind sarcasm, I was straight up physically terrified now. My expression must've been priceless because Korra started laughing at the sight of it.

We waited for another minute or two which mostly consisted of Korra asking me dumb questions like if sunlight burns my skin, or if I can change form during a full moon. I kept denying that myth, (I'm a Demi-spirit, not a freak...I think) before Tenzin finally stepped out and told us that we could come in.

There were about five of them, if you count the baby, sitting around a table. Was this a dining room? It didn't look half bad. Then again, I haven't really visited many houses before. At least, not with people in them anyway. There were three kids sitting on one side of the table. The first was a really tiny boy who was probably the youngest bald kid I've ever seen in my life. I looked at Tenzin, then back at him. Does baldness run in the family?

'He must've been picked on a lot when he was a kid. No wonder he's so uptight.' I guessed. He had a look on his face that stated he was either wary of me...or he seriously needed to use the bathroom.

The other two children were girls. One of them had two yellow buns in her hair and a look of utter curiosity on her face. She looked like she desperately wanted to say and/or ask something.

The girl next to her looked like she was the oldest of the three. About my age, maybe give or take a year. She had her hair in a bun as well, except it wasn't in a yellow sack or whatever it's called, and she only had one. She seemed to be studying me, something I've learned to tell from being attacked so many times. It made me a little uncomfortable so I looked away, towards the woman holding the baby.

There wasn't much to describe with this woman: medium brunette length hair, fair skin, air-bender garbs, the usual feminine qualities. Not that it's bad, of course. The baby was pretty cute though.

Everything was silent. There was so much awkwardness in the room that I could almost feel it weighing me down. No one dared to say anything. What could we say? 'Hi, I'm Liam. you've probably heard about me on the radio. No I'm not that guy, the other one. The guy who killed those metal-benders. So, what's for dinner?' Yeah that probably wouldn't end well. So I went with the next best thing.

"Uh...hello...please don't scream."

Well, what else was I supposed to say?! I know literally nothing about human interaction. Heck, usually when I'm around this many people, they're usually trying to kill me! I've never been in this kind of situation before, okay?! Besides, like I mentioned before, people have been screaming at me all day.

I guess I wasn't supposed to say that because I was given an elbow to the side by the mighty Avatar herself and a glare from Tenzin before he finally spoke.

"Anyway, this is my family. That is my wife and my son, Rohan." He introduced while gesturing towards the woman holding the baby. "And those are the rest of my children, Meelo, Ikki and Jinora. Everyone, this is Liam."

I offered a small, timid wave, but no one returned it. It was mildly insulting. I know this is probably one of those most awkward moments of their lives, but the least they could do is wave back. It's not like I actually LOOK dangerous or anything. It's just what I'm capable of, that's all. Maybe I should find a way to word that better.

I was about to say something until Korra covered my mouth and started dragging me out of the room. "Well, I think that's enough for introductions today and I'm sure we're all pretty tired, so why don't I just send him up to his room? Okay? Okay."

As soon as we were out of there and the door was closed, she let go of me and let of a sigh of relief.

"Well that was awkward." I heard her mutter.

"Tell me about it. Thanks for getting me outta there by the way." I may not like this girl, but I know a favor when I see one and she definitely did me a huge one back there.

"Don't mention it. Now come, I might as well be true to my word and show you to where you'll be sleeping."

As she lead me to my new room, I couldn't help but wonder how this will all turn out. By default, it'll probably end badly, but still. I mean, I'm on an island filled with air-benders. How many kids my age can say that? Well, excluding that other girl. Will this be my greatest adventure or my worst nightmare?

I guess only time will tell.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing involving this "legend of Korra" other than Liam. This was beta-read and co-written by corinetheanime. Enjoy :)

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

**"Daku"**

* * *

><p>Two. Days.<p>

It's been only two days since his awkward introduction and already he found himself resisting the urge to smash his own head against the wall simply because it would qualify as actually DOING something.

Liam was starting to wish that the council had actually sent him to prison. Anything would be better than this place right now. He could handle fighting off a couple of cellmates and the occasional guard, but now, he was face to face with an enemy his shadow-bending could kill. An enemy skilled in getting into the minds of its opponents and driving them to utter insanity.

Boredom.

He's been on Air Temple Island for two whole days and he hasn't done ANYTHING. There was nothing he COULD do. He can't wander around the island without Korra following him and that always ended in a rather annoying argument. He tried hiding from her, but she always somehow found him no matter where he goes. It wasn't fair! She knew the island better than he did and she has a polar bear-dog! How could he compete with that!

He tried meditating to pass the time and hone in his shadow bending, but eventually, he grew bored of that too. He couldn't get much combat training because someone always seemed to be at the training ground. Sure, he could simply share, but he didn't need another panicking air-bender incident. He tried hanging out with the younger air benders, but they never let him anywhere near them (not that he put that much effort into trying anyway). They either ran or stopped what they were doing all together. He also tried to hang out with Tenzin, but he was too busy with that pole (virtual cookie to whoever gets that joke). He couldn't even spend his time reading because he already finished the small collection he had.

So what does Liam do to keep himself from going insane (more than usual)? He listens. Since there's nothing interesting going on in HIS life, then he might as well find out what's going on in everyone else's. So whenever he's bored, he'd use his bending to blend in with someone's shadow and listen to their conversations.

Half of the conversions he'd heard so far were about him. Just the everyday whispers, nothing out of the ordinary. When they weren't talking about him, however, they'd talk about such fascinating things. He's listened in on many different topics so far such as what their families were probably doing back home, whose the prettiest girl on the island and why (he left that conversion with a red face), and sometimes they'd even say things about Tenzin. He almost burst out laughing and revealed himself when they had a contest on who could do the best Tenzin impression and was very confusion when one of them mention something about him having something called a "small D". He had no idea what they meant by that and he couldn't ask them for obvious reasons. He tried asking Daku about it, but he simply called him clueless and said that he'd figure it out when he's older. This left Liam no less confused than when he first heard the statement, but he simply shrugged it off, concluding that it was probably nothing.

But even this wasn't a full proof plan. Sometimes no one had anything interesting to say or they were too busy talking about him. It was one of those days that he would on some of the roofs of the temple. He wouldn't do much other than sit with his notebook and read, write, and maybe draw. Those were his favorite things to do. He may not have been good at it, but it was the only thing that distracted him from the whispers, hateful glances, and pointed fingers. He tried telling himself that it had nothing to do with any of that and that he's completely used to his usual treatment, but the sting in his chest would tell him otherwise.

Today was one of those days. He was simply sitting on one of the rooms, overlooking the training grounds. Dummies were scattered everywhere, and board things that he didn't know the name of, were set up. Liam payed no mind to this, however, as he was faced with a far more important issue.

What the heck was he going to draw?!

Liam groaned as he put his head in his hands. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of anything. He found no inspiration on this island anymore. He's drawn everything he could think of, and it's not just drawing either. He couldn't think of anything to write about! He's never had this problem before in his entire life. It was like he was suffering from the worst artist's block imaginable.

"Yep it's official, I've finally run out of ideas."

Liam sighed and look at the three books sitting to his left with a blank expression. Perhaps some reading would stimulate his brain and help him figure out what he wanted. Only problem is that he didn't want to read these books. He read and finished them a hundred times as it is; he practically knew each story by heart. He wanted something new.

Unfortunately, that left him with a whole new problem: what was he going to do with these books? He could give them away, but he doubt anyone would let him close enough to try. Well, he could give them to Korra, but the chances of her actually wanting them were very slim.

He sent the books a glare as if trying to will them away. When that crazy idea didn't work, he let out another sigh. Looks like he's gonna have to make a little trip to the library. The problem? He didn't know where it was.

"Maybe Korra knows. After all she's been here for like what? A year or so?"

With that in mind, he grabbed his books and notebook and made his way to the edge of the roof. He exhaled a deep breath and concentrated: he extended his arms, each hand still holding two books, and felt a chill run through his shoulder blades. He turned his face around and smiled at what he accomplished: attached to his back were two shadow wings, made from the dark element he possesses. Liam loved using these. He only learned how to form his wings recently, so it was always exciting to use them even if he couldn't actually fly with them flapped them a little to make sure they were fully functional.

After all, he didn't want another incident like last time...

_*Flashback (the day before)*_

_"Holy crap!" He exclaimed in shock as he stared at his new bat wings. He was sitting on one of the roofs overlooking the garden, trying to get a good look at them, making himself appear like a polar bear-dog chasing its own tail. It was really starting to annoy Daku._

_"**Would you stop that! You look ridiculous!"**_

_"I have two wings sticking out of my back and a voice in my head who happens to be a giant jackass. I think I'm past the point of ridiculous and has moved into downright insane already." He remarked sarcastically as he finally managed to grab hold of one of the wings and hold it in front of him._

_They looked like devil wings except they were pitch black. They were much bigger than him too. They looked like they could fold around his entire body._

_"Why are they so huge?" He asked, releasing his hold on the wing._

**_"They length and shape of spirit's wings differ depending on height and weight. Every spirit is different."_**

_"Weight? I thought spirits were weightless. Hey wait, you mean to tell me things are so large because I'm heavy?! I don't even weigh that much! Are you trying to tell me something?"_

**_"Have you ever seen a giant dark spirit with wings?"_**

_"Uh...well no, but-"_

**_"Exactly. That's because the great spirits don't need them. Only the lesser ones have wings and no, they're not weightless. Humans just can't lift them. Atter all, have you ever seen a human touch a dark spirit without going through it? No, of course not! That's why your wings are decent-sized. Because you're larger than the average dark spirit. In other words; you're not fat, just really short. Now, to use them you mus- WOULD YOU STOP POKING THEM?!"_**

_Liam ignored his outburst and continued to poke at them with a look of child-like curiosity on his face. "They feel weird. They're cold which I guess is normal, but I'm not getting that tingly feeling I usually get when I touch darkness. It kind of feels like they're a part of me..."_

_After poking them at least two more times, a smile spread across his face as a reckless idea formed in his head. He suddenly stood up and walked towards the edge of the roof. Daku knew this won't end well._

_"I'm gonna try em out." With that, he took five steps back and ran towards forward despite Daku's protests._

_**"No wait! I haven't taught you how to fl-"** But it was too late. He had already jumped off the roof with his arms spread wide and a large grin on his face._

_"We're flying! "_

**_"You cannot fly."_**

_"Well, it's to have good dreams though."_

_"**Dreams, yes. Delusions?"**_

_"NOOOOOOO!" He screamed as he fell._

_'Oh man this is gonna hurt.' He thought._

**_*SPLASH!*_**

_*End Flashback_*

Fortunately for him, he landed in the garden's pond. Unfortunately, it wasn't that deep. The water only reached up to his knees so yeah, it still kinda hurt.

He shuddered at the memory. Yeah, not exactly one of finest moments. Turns out that in order to use the wings he has to figure out how to move them through bending. He's almost got it down too. He just can't get himself off the ground without crashing into something yet. Every time he tries, he ends up with putting too much or too little power into his wing beats. It's not all bad though. Every time he crashes Daku throws a fit which is quite funny in his opinion.

Shaking himself out of the memory of his epic fail, he jumped off the roof. Halfway through his descent, his wings unfolded, slowing down his fall to prevent any unnecessary broken limbs.

When he landed, he heard a small gasp from behind him. Turning, he saw two air-benders who probably came to get some extra training done. Shock was written all over their faces that caused Liam to put on a miniscule smile. He may not like everyone always screaming and running at the site of him, but he did like to scare people. He never scarred them for life or anything like that, just tiny surprises like hiding in someone's closet and then jumping out while screaming when someone enters. Maybe he should try that with Korra. Chuckling at the idea, he gave the air-benders a friendly wave (which made them flinch anyway) before fazing through the nearest wall, leaving them standing there shocked and confused.

Liam soon found himself in one of the many hallways this place never seemed to have enough of. Now, all he needed to do was find Korra or Tenzin so he could find the darn library and maybe, just maybe, move on with his life.

**"Why are you wasting your and more importantly, MY time walking? You realise you can just faze through the walls right?"**

"Yeah, and just what if I end up somewhere I don't wanna be, like the women's shower facilities or worse, the MEN'S shower facilities?! No, I ain't taking the risk. Besides, how hard could it be to find the Avatar and her bald dress-wearing teacher?"

Apparently, it's very hard. He wasn't sure how long he's walking around this place. Half an hour maybe? Or has it only been ten minutes? Honestly, he lost track at the last turn.

**"You should've listened to me. Now we're lost! Way to go, kid!"**

Liam simply ignored him. He was frustrated, annoyed and in no mood for Daku's insults right now. He just wanted to find the library, get a book or two, and get some reading done. Was that so wrong?!

**"You know it's not too late to admit your stupidity and just faze through the walls like I suggested."**

Okay, THAT he was about to respond to (with some very unkind words), but he held his tongue when he noticed an entirely new problem: there was a fork in the hallway.

"Great, just great. Now where do I go?" He said as he checked his options. The hallway on the left or the one on the right? Which one leads to the library?

He stood there for a moment, weighing his options before shrugging and moving towards the right path. He was stopped in his tracks, however, by the sounds of tiny feet.

'What the..?'

As soon as he turned his head to find the source of the strange, his face was immediately introduced to something small and furry. He screamed and tried to pry the thing off his face, but whatever it was, it had a strong grip. It latched onto his head and held on for dear life. At this point, he was stumbling around the hallway, trying to get this thing off.

Finally after much pulling, screaming, and stumbling into walls, he managed to pry the little monster off his face. He held the thing away from his face and was about to send it a death glare until he noticed something: it had a tail.

There, held right in front of him, was a ring-tailed winged lemur with the bushiest ears he had ever seen. It stared at him those huge eyes in fascination before it abruptly scared Liam into letting go. As soon as it touched the ground, however, it immediately pounced on his leg and started climbing until eventually, it was sitting on his head.

**"Looks like you finally found someone who can stand you."**

"Oh, shut up, Daku."

Liam was about to pry the little mammal off of his head, but he stopped when he heard it growl in the direction it came from.

**"What's wrong with HIM?" **Daku asked**.**

"What do I look like, the lemur whisperer? Maybe it needs its shots or something? I don't know! Can we just find that darn library already so I can get some reading done before something else happens?"

With that, he turned and continued his journey with his new lemur companion. It wasn't so bad, but he could do without the tail brushing my face every three seconds. Unfortunately, he didn't get far due to another interrup-

"What?! Are you kidding me?! I'm being interrupted again?! Ugh, that is just- you know what? You stink, author!"

What? How are you- you're not supposed to break the fourth wall! It's against fanfiction rules! You're not Deadpool, ya know!

"Oh yeah? Then which reference did you use for that falling scene, huh? HUH?!"

Well...I...it was...JUST FOLLOW THE SCRIPT, OKAY?!

"Fine! Stupid writer."

Liam turned to see what was interrupting him this time and saw two young air-benders running towards him. As he watched them get closer, he couldn't help but think that they somehow looked familiar. Maybe he met them before. Perhaps he'll ask them when they stopped running...wait, they're not stopping?

"Poki, come back!"

**"Oh..."**

"...darn..."

Before he could even attempt to jump out of the way, he and his new lemur companion were sent to the ground by something very tiny and fast.

* * *

><p>She had no idea this would happen. How could she? They were just trying to teach Poki some new tricks. It was completely innocent.<p>

Ikki and Meelo were simply bored. Korra had gone off somewhere and no one knew where she was. Jinora was in the library and they REALLY didn't want to join her. Sitting still and reading was not their forte. Their dad was training the new air-benders and their mom was putting their baby brother to sleep which usually took a while.

So to pass the time, they decided to train Poki a bit. It usually went well, but he didn't seem all that into it today. He just laid there and ignored their commands. They tried giving him treats, but he swiped them and went back to lying there. Meelo tried doing the trick for him and asking him to copy his movements, but eventually, that lead to Poki training Meelo.

Eventually, Poki got very sick of them and ran off. Not wanting to sit around and do nothing, they ran after him, calling his name and pleading him to stop.

She wasn't sure how long they chased him for, an hour? Ten minutes? Either way, her legs were screaming at her to take a break and yet, Meelo seemed to have infinite endurance. Either she was out of shape, or Meelo really needs to cut back on the sugar.

What happened next was bittersweet: On one hand, Poki finally stopped, but it was where he decided to stop that made her freeze in her tracks. If only Meelo had done the same.

"Meelo, stop!" She called, hoping he would listen. But it was too late. By the time she finished those two words, Meelo had all crashed into the worst person you could could possibly crash into.

Meanwhile, Meelo was so focused on catching Poki that he was oblivious to everything else, including who he had just crashed into.

"Got ya!" He cried as he lifted the poor lemur. He took note somewhere in the back of his mind that the ground was suspiciously lumpy and ow-my-back today, but shrugged it off and decided to continue scolding Piko.

"Bad Poki! No running off!" He said as he wagged his finger.

"Uh...Meelo...?"

"Hm? What is it?" He asked as he turned to face his sister.

She looked as if she had just seen a ghost tell a dragon where human babies come from.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

The only answer he received was her shaky hand pointing downwards. He blinked in confusion before following her hand, only to see that he was sitting on a pair of legs clothed in black pants. Slowly, his eyes moved upwards until his grey eyes met red ones, causing his confused expression to turn into one of shock.

There was a long pause as the two stared at each other; neither blinked or stated anything. This went on for a while until the owner of the scarlet eyes decided that this was getting a little weird and decided to break the silence with a simple greeting.

"Uh...hi there."

* * *

><p>And that's it folks! Not my best work I know but at least it's something right. Anyway, favourite and review please.<p> 


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